Ohio woman holds armed home invader at gunpoint, praises Second Amendment

A West Akron woman who held an armed home invader at gun point after waking to find the intruder in their bedroom took to social media to express her thanks for her Second Amendment rights.

“This is why gun control is a bad idea,” she wrote. “We held him at bay until police arrived about 10 after 7. Did anyone die? No. Could anyone have died? Most certainly. Our guns saved our lives today. Responsible gun ownership should never be revoked. If it was, our situation today could have cost both of us our lives.”

From the Ohio.com article:

Police reported the couple, a 61-year-old man and a 43-year-old woman, woke to find 38-year-old DeJuan McCraney in their home. McCraney, who was convicted in 2001 of attempted aggravated murder and released from prison in 2010, faces charges of aggravated burglary and having weapons illegally.

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No shots were fired in the incident, which occurred at the couple’s West Akron home in the 800 block of Cordova Avenue.

According to the victim's comments on social media, her dogs were in the bedroom that morning and started reacting to something in the house. She said she assumed one of their adult children had come to make a surprise visit, until the door opened and a 6-foot-5 stranger appeared in the doorway.

“As I tried to study the image of the person in the dark, I realized a horrible truth,” she wrote. “That wasn’t one of my kids. I didn’t know who that was.”

Her husband retrieved a gun and pointed it at the man while she called police. She then retrieved her own gun and pointed it at the man from his other side. McCraney was not armed, but police said they found a loaded 9 mm handgun in his jacket, which he allegedly placed on a couch before approaching the couple’s bedroom.

The woman says the incident left her shaken.

“It’s just crazy. I can’t stop all the replays in my head. It’s overwhelming and very uncomfortable,” she said. “I’m a mess.”

Under Ohio's Castle Doctrine law, if someone unlawfully enters or attempts to enter an occupied home or temporary habitation, or occupied car, citizens have an initial presumption that they may act in self defense, and will not be second-guessed by the State.

Chad D. Baus is the Buckeye Firearms Association Secretary, BFA PAC Vice Chairman, and an NRA-certified firearms instructor. He is the editor of BuckeyeFirearms.org, which received the Outdoor Writers of Ohio 2013 Supporting Member Award for Best Website.